Amid rising demand for fast-casual food outlets, California-based Habit Restaurants has signed its first international franchise agreement with the Dubai-based Food Quest Restaurant Management to open 50 Habit Burger Grill restaurants in the next 10 years.

The first outlet in the UAE is expected in the second half of the year. Food Quest has rights to open Habit Burger outlets in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

According to a Consumerreports.org survey in July, Habit Burger topped the taste list for fast food chains in the US, beating out Hardee’s, Burger King and McDonald’s.